Chapter 73 Green Vein Operation 6 Unexpected Fortune

"Wait a minute." Heather stood up, her eyes still on the two seeds she had just picked up, not caring if anyone was listening. "These are definitely not sugarcane seeds. Sugarcane grows in the tropics, and its seeds are single, long spikes. But this one in my hand is a spherical aggregate fruit."

Her voice was clear, powerful and orderly, and everyone nearby looked over subconsciously.

The vendor suddenly felt something was wrong and tried to sneak away again. The customer at the next table calmly stretched out his leg, tripping him and almost making him scream. But there was no point in not screaming. Lancaster stepped forward and clamped his arm: "Didn't I tell you to wait? Why are you running?"

He had no choice but to beg for mercy: "Okay, okay, it's just 10 pence. It's my bad luck. Can't I pay it back?" He took out a crumpled banknote from his pocket and threw it on the table.

The old man glared at him fiercely. "If I see you again, I'll beat you up. This isn't just about money. I've wasted a whole season on a piece of land. I'm lucky I didn't hold you accountable."

The trafficker kept protesting his injustice, but Lancaster didn't let go. He looked at Heather and asked if she agreed to let him go.

Heather had no intention of upholding justice, if she hadn't been impulsive when she saw the seeds, and knew that Lancaster had reliable military force.

She thought about it and nodded. Many of the merchants here are in the same boat. Losing the capital is already good enough. There are many people selling fake goods. If they continue to do so, the old woman may be retaliated by them.

"Let him go. Although he's a bad person, he did do a good thing by accident."

Under everyone's curious gaze, Heather walked towards the old man with the seeds in hand. "Old man, I want to ask, are you growing sugarcane to make sugar?"

The old man calmed down a lot after receiving the compensation, but his eyes were still sharp: "Yes, ma'am, because of the war blockade, the price of sugar has increased almost three times. If that person hadn't said that the sugar made from Jamaican sugarcane is sweeter than honey, I would not have taken the risk. Why do you say this is a good thing?" He was keenly expectant.

Heather handed the sack back to him and explained, "That's right, this is definitely a blessing in disguise. These are seeds of the white Silesian variety of beet. The beetroot has a very high sugar content and can produce as much sugar per acre as a tropical sugarcane plantation. Moreover, this variety is cold-resistant and more suitable for the British climate."

The people in the pub didn't understand the technical terms, but they understood that this thing could really make sugar. They crowded over, some just wanting to take a look, while others had other ideas: "Hey, Thomas, you're going to be rich, grab a handful and show me."

Thomas quickly stuffed the sack against his chest and waved his muscular arms twice. "James, I've been a soldier for twelve years. Perhaps you'd like to try my fists and my dagger."

Lancaster walked over and pulled Heather behind him.

Thomas didn't move closer, but asked Heather through the other person, "Madam, I trust your judgment. But I tried it before, and it was quite big, but it was indeed bitter when cooked. Could it be that I really planted it the wrong way?"

Heather poked her head out from behind Lancaster. "It shouldn't be a big deal if it grows, but the cooking method for beets is completely different from sugarcane. It requires a certain technique."

She now realized that telling it directly here might hurt the old man, and hesitated: "Or... I will write down the prescription for you. Well, it's just..." She looked at the people around who were eyeing her covetously.

Thomas couldn't possibly give up such an easy opportunity. He said with a determined look, "Ma'am, don't worry. I have the ability to protect myself. Even if someone gangs up on me and kills me, I still hope to have another chance to try."

Lancaster stepped to the right, blocking Heather's path. He was just thinking about how to resolve the situation without revealing his true intentions when the middle-aged man at the next table, who had been keeping himself out of the situation, suddenly spoke up. "Have you finished discussing this? Listen, it's not that difficult. Now, all of you, follow me to the private room on the second floor of the tavern next door. Everything can be resolved there."

Heather was startled and turned to look. The man was probably in his late fifties, dressed modestly but not cheaply. He looked smart and tough, and spoke bluntly, yet for some reason he was so convincing.

She thought that he was probably a powerful nobleman.

"Duke Claren, long time no see." Lancaster directly stated the man's identity, causing him to fume and glare.

Duke Claren felt that his temper had become calmer in recent years, otherwise he would have scolded this kid.

When the people around heard that it was the Duke, they all stepped back and made way. This middle-aged man had been frequenting the tavern in the past month and was not talkative. Judging from his temperament, they thought he was a retired general or an ordinary nobleman, but they didn't expect him to be the Duke.

Seeing his identity exposed, Duke Claren waved his hand to let his followers in, gave them a few instructions, and said to them, "Let's go."

Lancaster didn't move. He whispered in Heather's ear, "He's the king's son and the regent's younger brother. He's always lived among the people and is quite down-to-earth. I guess he wants to send someone to guard the beet field. If sugar can really be produced, he'll probably get involved. What do you think? Do you want to go?"

Heather looked at the Duke who had walked to the door and lit a cigar, then looked at Thomas who was waiting for them, and tiptoed to Lancaster's ear: "He has such a high title, do we have a choice? I don't care about anything else, but can that old man have a sip of soup with me?"

The Duke watched them whisper through the window at the door, and felt his temper from his youth coming out. But Lancaster was not in a hurry at all, and even distracted himself to see Heather unconsciously holding his hand.

"Well, it's okay. He has no real power and his relationship with the Regent is average. You can do whatever you want. I'll find a solution. But he won't just take away all the results without leaving any chance for Thomas. Besides, sugar production is a serious matter and it's not something an ordinary person can keep."

Heather nodded: "Okay, you go and get close to him first, and we'll follow behind."

She let go of his hand and turned to greet Thomas. Lancaster had no choice but to leave the house with regret, but he did not forget to instruct the Duke's servant to help carry the bag of trinkets and protect Heather's safety.

Duke Claren waited for him to come over, and finally relaxed his frown: "Why are you hesitating? Can I eat them?"

Lancaster was too lazy to argue with him: "Duke Claren, I didn't expect to meet you in Warwick."

The Duke frowned again. "Robert, you're still so boring. But that girl is interesting. Do you think that thing can really be used to make sugar? The war has dragged on for too long, and life is hard for civilians. Not only is sugar expensive, but everything is expensive."

Lancaster glanced back and saw Heather asking Thomas something. He turned to the Duke and said, "She said she could, for sure. She's very knowledgeable about botany."

"Hmm." Duke Claren did not ask any more questions and fell into deep thought.

They soon arrived at the private room, and the Duke of Lancaster and Claren sat down first, waiting for everyone to arrive.

Lancaster sat near the door and watched Heather coming up from downstairs.

Duke Claren could sense the focused gazes of the people around him and couldn't help but be curious: "I haven't heard that you got married in recent years? Or is this your little lover?"

Lancaster glanced at him coldly: "Not married, this is my sweetheart, it hasn't worked out yet."

The Duke of Claren was taken aback, remembering how he had always been aloof. A hearty laugh echoed through the box. Just then, Heather came in from the doorway. Lancaster winked at her and pulled out a chair for her to sit down.

Thomas didn't dare sit down, closed the door and stood aside.

The Duke of Clarence wasted no time. Having served as a naval commander for many years, he was accustomed to giving orders. He said directly, "Thomas' land will be guarded by my personal guards from now on. Madam, please give me a copy of the sugar-making method so that I can speed up the experiments. If everything is correct, the land and seeds will belong to me, and I will pay you according to the market price of the land and the estimated sugar yield. When the new batch grows, Thomas, I will return the seeds according to the amount. If you want to plant sugar beets later, that's fine. I won't interfere if the policy allows. So, Thomas, I didn't take advantage of you, did I?"

This arrangement was so thoughtful that it was beyond the reach of any noble. Heather was somewhat surprised, while Thomas was even more grateful. "Thank you very much, Your Excellency. Your generosity is a blessing I have never experienced before. Thank you also, Madam. Without your generosity, my family might be destroyed after today."

The Duke of Claren waved his hand and told him to go out and wait. Then he turned to Hazel and asked, "How about it, ma'am, when can the prescription be written?" He pushed the paper and pen towards her.

Before Heather reached out her hand, Lancaster held her hand under the table and said, "Your Excellency the Duke, do you intend to offer the recipe or invest in the beet industry yourself?"

Heather's heart moved. She had no intention of gaining anything from it, but Lancaster was helping her, and she couldn't sabotage it.

"Duke Clarence, you may not know that while growing sugar beets requires relatively little technical expertise, extracting sugar in bulk is quite challenging. Small-scale extraction can be difficult to control, resulting in slow production and a low sugar yield. However, establishing a specialized factory for large-scale production presents a completely different challenge."

Duke Claren raised an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting I invest in a sugar beet factory?"

Heather smiled. "It depends on what kind of recipe you want. I promised to give Mr. Thomas the one suitable for a family workshop."

Lancaster touched her hand gently under the table and gave her a thumbs-up.

The Duke of Clarence obviously would not miss the opportunity to mass-produce it, either for himself or for his country.

Next came the battlefield of Lancaster. Both of them were concise and to the point. After several rounds of arguments, the Duke of Claren finally agreed to his request. Heather would provide the recipe for industrial sugar production and get 20% of the profits after the factory was built. This was by no means a small amount.

"Ahhh, that's great!" After walking out of the pub, Heather immediately rushed over excitedly and took Lancaster's arm. "Oh my God, I never thought I could make a lot of money just by eating out."

Lancaster lowered his head and watched her smiling as she kept showing off how smart she was and praising how great he was.

It was almost nine o'clock when we returned to the hotel. Fortunately, Heather had slept on the boat all afternoon and was still in high spirits.

When they were about to say goodbye, Lancaster suddenly asked, "Did you hear the conversation between the Duke and me when you entered the box just now?"

Heather's expression froze, and she pretended to be dumb: "Which one?"

Lancaster replied: "Because your ears were very red when you came in, I thought you heard it. He was the one who asked about our relationship, and I told him that you were mine..."

"Don't say it!" Heather pushed him against the wall and covered his mouth with her hands. "I didn't hear anything, I just heard him laughing!"

The door closed and she fled again.

"Good night," Lancaster whispered at the door.